Two-Round Start-Up Dynasty Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single Quarterback

April 4, 2025

John dives into his first start-up dynasty fantasy football mock draft for 2025. This two-round mock is for a single-quarterback, 12-team leagues with default PPR scoring rules.

The players you select in the early rounds of dynasty fantasy football start-up drafts have a massive impact on the chances of your team winning for many seasons after the first one. So it's crucial to nail these picks, and there are a few ways you can do that.

Obviously, no one's being selected in the first two rounds unless they're considered a great player, but erring toward those with good situations and reasonable pathways to sustained success is a good idea. Again, most of the early picks have that in their future, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Still, it's worthwhile to see which players will fall where, and read into some information about their situation in their offense and how their play so far can continue moving forward. Let's dive into a dynasty start-up mock draft for 2025 for single-QB, 12-team leagues.

For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, be sure to check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.

Round 1 Mock Draft

1.01 – Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

There isn't a lot that needs to be said about Chase. He's the obvious 1.01 here. His production in 2024 was assisted by the team's deficiencies on defense and by injuries to fellow WR Tee Higgins, but Chase is easily the best pairing of an elite WR with an elite quarterback in the league.

11 CATCHES
264 YARDS
3 TOUCHDOWNS

HAVE A NIGHT JA’MARR CHASEpic.twitter.com/C4p1D6KZSf

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 8, 2024

And the team is committed to keeping Higgins, as they're reportedly exploring trade options for defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who racked up 17.5 sacks in 2025. The Bengals' defense was terrible altogether, allowing more than 25 points per game to opposing offenses. It seems that the puzzle pieces are falling into place for another huge season for Chase.

If the defense can't get it together, and it will likely struggle to if it's devoid of talent, then QB Joe Burrow will be forced to air it out early and often, just like he did last season. He's one of the best QBs in the league, so it's a match made in heaven.

1.02 – Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Jefferson and Chase stand atop the league as the two wideouts who are such transcendent talents that they're likely locks for the NFL Hall of Fame after they retire if they don't have horrible luck with injuries. And Jefferson is a lock for over 1,400 receiving yards, over 100 catches, and at least eight touchdowns each season that he remains healthy, as long as his quarterback is remotely competent.

We've seen plenty of Jefferson now, who will turn 26 years old before the 2025 season starts. He likely has at least four more years of elite production ahead of him, followed by at least a few more of WR1 numbers. The QB situation isn't one to envy in Minnesota, but Jefferson proved that he's QB-proof to an extent, so there's not a whole lot to worry about.

1.03 – CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Lamb, like Jefferson, will be 26 for the 2025 season. And he's one of the league's best route-runners and separators. Receivers, with his proven history of production and the elite play he's put on tape, remain their team's dominant lead pass-catchers for many seasons. Quarterback Dak Prescott is still tied to the team long-term as well, and he will likely continue to force the ball to Lamb heavily.

CEEDEE FREAKING LAMB.

93 YARDS THIS GAME ALREADYpic.twitter.com/H0bQYbzOqk

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 24, 2023

One of Prescott's favorite plays is "Have Lamb Run The Slant And Throw It To Him No Matter What The Defense Is Doing", which isn't always great for his turnover ratio but is fantastic for Lamb's fantasy value. Every season that No. 88 plays and stays healthy, he's a candidate to finish top-5 in targets, catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns, so he's deserving of his spot here.

Dallas has a long history of regular-season success despite their relative incompetency as an organization, so there's not much to worry about on that front.

1.04 – Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants 

Nabers showed in his first season with the Giants that he's a remarkable talent. I'm not so sure that he should be this high in start-up drafts, though. It's hard to have confidence in the Giant's ability to fix their quarterback situation, repair the many holes in the roster, and set themselves up for consistently good offense for years to come.

Lmao Malik Nabers creates

And the ball is thrown late and out of bounds

Unreal pic.twitter.com/1pyW6ccvLa

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) February 3, 2025

Even Hall of Fame level wide receivers, like Larry Fitzgerald, have had stretches of their career where they produced poorly because of bad quarterback play. A constant "what should have been" narrative is not what you want surrounding one of your most prized fantasy assets.

Still, it's tough to argue with Nabers' spot here. His draft capital is elite, he's one of the most explosive WRs in the game today (I'd argue he's the most explosive since Tyreek Hill appears to be falling off), and he'll be just 22 years old to start the 2025 season.

More like Malik No-Nabers because BUDDY there wasn’t anybody NEAR this guy pic.twitter.com/6LIQwu71bH

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) September 27, 2024

Youth is a major factor on his side here.

1.05 – Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions 

St. Brown is on a great team with a quarterback that gets him the ball early and often. He's the premier pass-catcher on a team loaded with talent and has players like tight end Sam LaPorta and WR Jameson Williams to draw coverages away from him. Detroit has consistently drafted great players in recent years, so the surrounding talent shouldn't be lacking any time soon.

And ARSB is one of the best WRs in the short and intermediate areas of the field in the league. His consistency in beating opposing coverages should help him easily retain his role as the WR1 and a target-hogging machine. Nothing not to like here. His 12 touchdowns in 2024 were a career-high, and those can offset fluctuations in his yardage totals by season.

1.06 – Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

Robinson's 2024 season featured 365 touches, 1,887 yards from scrimmage, and 15 total touchdowns. He was drafted with a top-10 pick by his team in the 2024 NFL Draft, and will likely continue to get an elite workload until the wheels fall off. And that might not be for a while, since he's just 23 years old.

Bijan Robinson straight out of a video game 🎮 pic.twitter.com/rvaoC9ynES

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) February 28, 2025

Robinson has lived up to the hype thus far, despite a disappointing rookie season with poor usage, which was part of what led to the firing of former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Atlanta has a good offensive line and is in a historically weak conference, the NFC South, so he'll likely enjoy at least a few more seasons of facing soft defenses. He has excellent long-term value as the workhorse in this offense and has great receiving upside.

1.07 – Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

Another back with elite draft capital, Gibbs' role in his offense should be secure for years to come. One of the NFL's best athletes and perhaps its best accelerator at the running back position, Gibbs finished as the RB1 in 2024, though that was partly due to his monster Week 18 game.

Fun Fact: this rush by Jahmyr Gibbs was the fastest rushing attempt recorded by any player from the 2024-25 NFL season, 22.03 MPH ⚡️#OnePride pic.twitter.com/VINrLFhInh

— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) February 16, 2025

Gibbs is in a very stable situation. While he's not a clear workhorse back, the reduced volume he has allows him to be more efficient. He's also behind one of the best offensive lines in the league and in a newly stable organization headed by a great head coach in Dan Campbell and fantastic management that regularly hits on stars in the NFL Draft.

Gibbs has many more highly productive years ahead of him.

1.08 – Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

It's insane that there are four wide receivers from Lousiana State University in the top-10 of dynasty start-up rankings this season, but it's not without reason. The WRU has produced a boat load of elite talent in the last decade, and Thomas is now the clear WR1 for the Jaguars. That's not about to change.

Friendly reminder:

Brian Thomas Jr. ranked 16th in catches, 3rd in rec. yards, and 6th in rec. TDs last season on a team that was 20th in pass attempts, 24th in yards and 28th in TDs

Liam Coen’s Buccaneers ranked 10th in attempts, 3rd in pass yards and 2nd in pass TDs https://t.co/isXWZMTmd0 pic.twitter.com/Mf9y2I9dvI

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) January 24, 2025

I was an early believer in Thomas and stated that "you should make it a priority to get him" after his mostly quiet game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3.

Now, he's one of the most valuable assets in dynasty fantasy football, and his new coach, Liam Coen, will draw up schemes to get him more open, will run an offense that passes the ball more, and will make sure the ball is thrown his way more often in 2025.

However long Coen lasts, Thomas was a dominant WR1 last season and deserves every target he gets. It's hard to argue against such a young player who came into the league pretty raw as a route-runner. He'll have plenty of time to develop even further.

I think I'd pick him before Gibbs and St. Brown.

1.09 – Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams 

Nacua's dominant rookie season was followed by one that was marred with injuries. And injury issues have been a problem for the majority of Nacua's career. Additionally, after quarterback Matthew Stafford retires, which shouldn't be too long since he's 37 years old, there will be question marks about Nacua's ability to produce moving forward.

I wrote in a previous article that Nacua would need a WR2 to ensure that teams don't just blanket him constantly in coverage. And as of the time of writing this piece, the Rams had just signed wide receiver Davante Adams to a two-year deal. I like this move. It helps their offense immensely and will force defensive coverages to account for more than just Nacua.

BREAKING: The #Rams are signing WR Davante Adams to a 2-year contract, per multiple reports. He’s paired up with Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. pic.twitter.com/3DK3N8rVgS

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 9, 2025

Nacua may fall in some drafts due to his injury problems last season, and his being on a team with an aging quarterback. But he was Pro Football Focus's top-rated wide receiver in the NFL in 2024. He's just so good at everything about playing the position, though he lacks elite speed. That's not super important, though.

1.10 – Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

I personally would select Collins over Nacua, St. Brown, and Thomas. Collins had a dominant season in 2024, and was on pace to log nearly 2,000 yards receiving and 10 receiving scores before a hamstring injury caused him to miss five weeks.

The quarterback situation isn't ideal, as QB C.J. Stroud took a big step back in 2024 after a remarkable rookie campaign. Yet Collins, before the injury was on an absolute tear, and threatening to finish as the overall WR1, despite Stroud's poor play.

The indecision feels palpable.

Nico Collins is WIDE OPEN and C.J. Stroud seems to be looking right at him. pic.twitter.com/QdhXKVzPfx

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) December 17, 2024

It's not apparent how much of this is the fault of Stroud, how much can be blamed on the offensive line, and how much should be credited to the now-fired former offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. But Collins is a remarkable talent, regularly destroys both man and zone coverage, and is an incredible athlete, especially for his size. I love picking him here.

1.11 – Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

He doesn't have the benefit of the youth of the rest of the players in the first round, but he's in the best possible situation for a running back, was just signed to a massive extension, and rushed for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024. If you draft him, you're getting at least two more seasons of elite RB1 production.

"Dad, how good was Saquon Barkley?" pic.twitter.com/J6LdetdyHs

— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) February 16, 2025

It's hard to argue against a future Hall of Famer in the ideal situation for a player at his position, even if he's 28 years old.

1.12 – De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

The main draw of Achane is his elite receiving upside. Not only is he a beast out of the backfield catching passes, but can run traditional wide receiver routes from out wide or in the slot. He was the engine of Miami's offense in 2024, and is the ultimate safety valve player, which should ensure his usage as a pass-catcher remains sky-high.

De’Von Achane ran more pass routes from the slot (120) and out wide (58) than any other RB in the league last season

He ranked 1st in the number of screen, go, slant, post, wheel and dig routes among RBs#GoFins pic.twitter.com/hF4mYTgXER

— Ryan Smith (@PFF_RyanSmith) March 6, 2025

He'll turn 24 years old in early October, so youth is on his side. And he's one of the most explosive and fastest backs in the league. I'm just not sure how I feel selecting him in the first round.

He doesn't have the size that most workhorse backs typically have, as he weighs under 190 pounds. And we've seen evidence in the past, like in 2023, that Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel prefers to run a committee backfield in his offense.

We've not seen a back under 190 pounds ever consistently hold a huge role in a backfield. Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson are two examples of undersized backs that had long-term value as dominant RB1s, but they were 10-15 pounds heavier than Achane.

Additionally, No. 28 is not a good pass-protector, and he was so bad in 2024 that he only got a handful of pass-pro reps, one of which he committed a penalty on.

It's not totally apparent how much this works against him, since he's much better off running routes and being a dump off target, but it's not ideal. It's hard for me to spend such a high pick in dynasty on an RB like Achane, skilled as he is.

Round 2 Mock Draft

2.01 – A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

He's one of the best receivers in the league -- highly efficient, a fantastic separator, has elite strength for a wideout, and is a great route-runner. He's not helped by the low pass rate the Eagles offense had in 2024 and will likely maintain due to the success of relying on their defense and the run game with Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts, though.

This 4th and 5 with a massive blitz in Jalen Hurts face such a dime to AJ Brown

Commanders get a sack or stop here they can easily have the lead at half instead they went to half down 2 scores because of this incredible throw! pic.twitter.com/6lZ4AcBljb

— NBA Slime (@TerryFranconia) February 21, 2025

Were he in a more pass-happy offense, we'd probably see him as a lock for the first round, though he will be 28 years old to start the 2025 season, so it would probably be in the second half of Round 1.

2.02 – Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

Usually, after a player that's had multiple huge seasons in terms of PPR points per game has a down year, their dynasty fantasy value plummets, then slowly recovers. Hall was an elite back in his first two seasons, both of which were heavily affected by his ACL injury.

.@BreeceH tore his ACL on October 23, 2022.

324 days later, he was ready for Week 1.

Then he gained 1,585 total yards - fourth-most in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/uaokQL9drS

— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 25, 2024

I strongly suspect that bothered him in 2024. Before the season, it was reported that he had an undisclosed lower-body injury, but would be fine.

Robert Saleh says that Breece Hall is at Jets OTAs and working on the side as he deals with a lower body issue:

"Nothing that we're concerned about." pic.twitter.com/akuONYRdna

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) June 4, 2024

He then proceeded to look nothing like he did in his first two years or at any point in college, and toward the end of the year, he was reportedly "struggling a bit" with the surgically repaired knee.

Breece Hall with 6:00 left in the first half:

9 touches
103 total yards
1 TDpic.twitter.com/qiwg8Sf6s8

— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) October 21, 2024

After analyzing his tape very closely in 2024, it's EERIE how similar his runs look to the end of his 84-yard run against the Buffalo Bills, after he gassed out due to not being in great game shape. I don't know what to think, but at this point, I'm scared.

To make matters more complicated here, the 2025 rookie class has a huge influx of RB talent. I'm avoiding Hall in dynasty for now. He's also tied to a terrible team with a terrible quarterback situation upcoming, unless they draft Jaxson Dart.

2.03 – Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

While the jury is still out on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and he hasn't played a ton of NFL football, his hyper-targeting of London was encouraging. No. 5 took big strides in 2024, when he finally had competent quarterback play, and finished as the overall WR5.

Drake London broke out at 18.1 years old (100th percentile), was a 1st round draft pick, and just had an 100 reception season at 23 years old‼️🔥

Has London reached his ceiling or are even better years ahead? pic.twitter.com/w7K8TwWZui

— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) February 28, 2025

Luckily, Penix forces the ball London's direction a lot. So consequently, I like this pick a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a first-round pick in dynasty for the 2026 season. He'll be just 24 years old when next season rolls around.

Since Michael Penix Jr. took over at quarterback Drake London has 18 catches for 272 yards and a TD and a 39% (!) Target Share in Two and a Half games.

The Penix-London connection in 2025 will feed families pic.twitter.com/QOHoeoBCyz

— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) January 5, 2025

2.04 – Brock Bowers, Tight End, Las Vegas Raiders

I was initially worried about the quarterback situation for Bowers for the next few years, but Las Vegas traded for former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, so he actually gets a big upgrade at that position. Smith should play better than he did last season as well, because the Raiders have a much better offensive line.

Every Brock Bowers' catch in 98-yard game | Week 2 pic.twitter.com/lwIgqRM9aT

— Football Film (@F00TBALLFILM) September 15, 2024

Bowers is absolutely elite as a pass-catcher. His route-running, separation skills, hands, physicality, yards-after-catch prowess, and intelligence are all off the charts. In TEP leagues, he's a sure-fire league-winner as long as he stays healthy. The upgrade is massive for him. I just pray that new Raiders coach Pete Carroll doesn't get cute with his stupid tight end route distribution.

2.05 – Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

There's not much to say here. We know Wilson is a great talent, but the quarterback situation will continue to hold him back for some time. The Jets are an incompetent organization that can't figure out how to get a good QB, and Wilson will continue to suffer for it. Love the player, hate the team.

2.06 – Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts 

It's hard to know what to think about Taylor. Most of his last season was mediocre after his ankle injury, and he doesn't have a ton of receiving upside, but he's capable of ripping off huge games when he gets the volume. The rushing upside of his QB, Anthony Richardson, also makes it difficult for defenses to defend against both of them.

Taylor's injury history is concerning, though, and he hasn't put together a full healthy season since his RB1 overall campaign in 2021. The offense around him also isn't great, and a QB change could be coming soon. That said, he has an excellent role as the clear workhorse, and should continue to get fantastic volume. If he can stay healthier, he'll be worth this pick.

2.07 – Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

A breakout season for McConkey showed that he's one of the league's best route-runners and one of its most sudden separators. He should be the team's clear WR1 moving forward, considering how weak the market is, though it will be important for the team to draft a clear WR2 (or at least WR1b) to take some pressure off McConkey and prevent defenses from double-covering him all game.

WR Quentin Johnston is not the answer at WR2, because he is awful.

2.08 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks 

The trade of quarterback Geno Smith was terrible news for Smith-Njigba. Now, Seattle doesn't have an answer at quarterback, and Smith (Geno) helped cover for just how truly bad the 'Hawks offensive line was. Whichever QB they pick up probably won't be as good, as it's a weak QB class.

Seahawks trading QB Geno Smith to Raiders for 2025 third-round pick.

(via @RapSheet, @TomPelissero, @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/yVr9dMKa4m

— NFL (@NFL) March 7, 2025

There are a lot of scenarios that could play out, and most of them are very, very bad. Not to mention, I've written at length about how Smith-Njigba probably isn't the clear WR1, and benefitted hugely from the injury to DK Metcalf, at least from a fantasy production standpoint.

From Weeks 1-7, before DK's knee injury, it was D.K. Metcalf who was the clear WR1 for the Seahawks, not Jaxon Smith-Njigba. 🧵

Air Yards Share -
DK : 43.0%
JSN: 21.7%

Target Share -
DK: 21.8%
JSN: 19.3%

Targets Per Route Run -
DK: 0.23
JSN: 0.20

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) February 27, 2025

I would not take him here.

2.09 – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals

His elite prospect profile and draft capital are doing the heavy lifting here. Harrison's rookie season was abysmal, his eight touchdown catches masking the fact that he averaged just over 47 receiving yards and just over 3.6 catches per game in all his contests other than his Week 2 detonation against a god-awful Los Angeles Rams secondary that also boosted JSN's draft stock significantly.

All I have heard is how bad a season Marvin Harrison Jr. had & how he didn't live up to expectations.

I even saw a post the other day saying he fell way short of his father.

Well...no he did not.

I think he's going to have a great career & will be a ton of fun next year. pic.twitter.com/pue0icfFe0

— Anna Brice (@annabrice) January 27, 2025

Here's some nice copium, I guess. I don't like how slow Harrison is off the line, how bad he was in contested catch situations, and how his hands turned into bricks sometimes. And I don't see how those issues will be fixed.

Maybe if he's used almost exclusively on horizontal-breaking routes he'll have better production next year, but predictable usage usually gets sniffed out by defenses. I don't think he has the upside he was touted as having.

2.10 – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

I'm always nervous about taking rookies early in dynasty start-up drafts, though, because we don't know if they'll be the best at their position in the class. That led to the mistake of people picking Harrison last season.

Yes, Jeanty had over 2,600 yards rushing in his final college season, yes, he almost won the Heisman Trophy. But to have said McConkey and Thomas, the two rookie WRs from last year, would have outproduced Harrison, the consensus No. 1 prospect, would have been scoffed at. And look what happened.

Still, RB prospects typically translate to the pros better than WRs do, at least those with draft profiles considered to be elite. I couldn't pick him here, though. It's a bit early in my eyes.

2.11 – Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

You can't argue with Allen's production, or that he produces at an elite level. The efficacy of picking a quarterback this early in 1QB drafts can be debated, though. But it's not always bad to overpay a bit for a player that you know will likely dominate for some time, and Allen is one of the few quarterbacks that can win leagues due to his rushing upside.

2.12 – Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

For now, it seems like Higgins will stay in Cincy. Even if he doesn't, he'd be a dominant WR1 elsewhere. With the Bengals, he's an elite wideout with one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he can put together massive games even when sharing the field with his fellow WR, Chase.

Tee Higgins having perhaps the game of his career in what could be his final home game as a Bengal.

- 11 catches
- 131 yards
- 3 TDs (GW in OT)

Cincy might have to just back up the brinks truck.pic.twitter.com/pBpFVr4gkr

— Mike Kennedy (@MikeKennedyNFL) December 29, 2024

If he can just make it through one season without missing significant time due to injuries, he could be an amazing value pick here.

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